Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a small country located in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the northwest, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. History Costa Rica’s modern history begins with the foundation of the ‘Liberal State’. The country faced near-constant military coups in the early years of its independence, but they ended with the accession to the presidency of Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez in 1871. Guardia drafted the Constitution of 1871, entrenching freedom of religion, public education, and the right to vote without property qualifications. Though Costa Rica has always been an unusually liberal nation by Latin American standards, it was from this point that it became known as the Liberal State, with liberal parties having virtually no political opposition. Guardia and his successors pursued liberal policies such as building infrastructure and attracting foreign investment. They were aided by the so-called ‘Olympus Generation’: the new politicians and intellectuals who believed Costa Rica must look towards Europe and its ideology of secularism, modernism, and progress. The government’s first big attempt at modernization came with the construction of a railroad between the capitol San José and the Caribbean port of Limón. The contract was awarded to a group of American engineers in 1871, and yet by 1883 little progress had been made due to the difficulty of the terrain, tropical disease, and chronic shortage of funds. That year, secretary of state and later president Bernardo Soto approached American businessman Minor Cooper Keith with a deal. Keith would complete the railroad and help relieve the crushing national debt; in return, Keith would gain a ninety-nine-year lease on 800,000 acres of land along the Caribbean coast--what amounted to 7% percent of the country. The Soto-Keith Contract proved to be a turning point in the history of Costa Rica. Keith discovered that banana plants grew exceptionally well in the lowlands along the Caribbean coast, while he already had a controlling stake in the railroad that was used to transport his crops to port. The export of bananas to the United States, and soon Canada and Britain, made Keith enormously rich, and in 1899 his merged his operation with other major fruit factors, forming the United Fruit Company. Soon the UFC owned fruit plantations not just in Costa Rica but all over Central America. Operation of the banana plantations required labor, but the Caribbean coast was actually the least populated region of the country, and few Costa Ricans enjoyed work in the sweltering conditions. Eventually the UFC decided to bring in foreign labor, mostly from the British West Indies, as many West Indians were already skilled in the cultivation of bananas. However, Costa Ricans were unfriendly to this new black immigrant population, and laws were passed to restrict their residence to Limón Province. Besides facing discrimination, the West Indians faced poor labor conditions, as the UFC created an oversaturated labor market so wages would remain low. In bad times, the UFC would promise back wages and then neglect to pay them. In 1910, anger over the import of new workers boiled into a riot, which turned into a strike when the Artisan’s and Labourer’s Union declared its support. The Costa Rican military was only able to restore order with the British consulate acting as mediator. At the beginning of the 20th century, Costa Rica’s liberal establishment appeared untouchable, but events would soon prove that this was far from reality. Alfredo González Flores assumed the presidency in 1914 after a contested election and alienated the traditional elite by levying new taxes on the upper class. In 1917, minister of war Frederico Tinoco overthrew the government in a military coup and declared himself president after a special election. Despite having the support of the ruling class, Tinoco alienated the populace by adopting dictatorial methods, and most importantly failed to gain recognition from the Wilson administration in the United States. Faced with the possibility of American military intervention, Tinoco and his vice president resigned in 1919, replaced with Francisco Aguilar Barquero. Aguilar was succeeded by Julio Acosta García in 1920. Acosta resumed the typical presidential policy of progressive liberalism. His rule also saw the Coto War with Panama, a short conflict over a long-disputed border territory. Though Panama struck first, it ultimately lost as the United States came down on Puerto Rico’s side. Costa Rica’s period of peace and prosperity ended with the New York Stock Market Crash and the onset of the Great Depression in 1925. Without the strong American market, the value of bananas plummeted and the whole country’s economy went into sharp decline. President Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno attempted to improve the situation by encouraging German investors to take over failing American businesses, forging a new connection between the Central American nation and Mitteleuropa. A major labor strike in 1934 was, as before, defeated by a government crackdown under pressure by the UFC. Politics Costa Rica is a presidential republic, with the powers and structure of the government defined by the Costa Rican Constitution, adopted in 1871. The government has three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Though this separation of powers ensures a degree of check-and-balance, the executive is typically considered the most powerful branch, as the president has the authority to oversee elections and call the legislature into session whenever he pleases. Suffrage is a right of all male citizens above the age of twenty-one. Uniquely among Latin American nations, Costa Rica lacks any substantial conservative political parties. Even the local cafetalero elite participate in their country’s politics through liberal parties and politicians. Because of the overwhelming liberal consensus, political parties are less ideological and more personalist in their foundations. The two major political parties of the moment, the Partido Republicano Nacional (PRN) and Partido Unión Nacional (PUN) are both liberal parties of little ideological difference. The only current exception is the Partido Vanguardia Popular (PVP), a moderate socialist party which has yet to find a large following. Conscription Law: Disarmed Nation Economic Law: Civilian Economy Trade Law: Free Trade Head of Government: León Cortés Castro Foreign Minister: Juan Rafael Arias Borilla Economy Minister: Julio Acosta García Security Minister: Edgar Cardona Military Costa Rica’s army, while existent, is negligible. There is even talk of abolishing the military altogether. There is no navy or air force. Foreign Relations Costa Rica generally remains aloof from Central America’s conflicts, but this is not always possible. The recent Coto War with Panama (which Costa Rica only “won” by United States decree) remains a point of contention between the two neighbors. The newly socialist Nicaragua to the north is a source of worry for Costa Rica’s strongly liberal establishment. As with all Caribbean nations, Costa Rica is protected by the United States under the Monroe Doctrine. Though Costa Ricans increasingly resent American imperialism and the influence of the UFC, relations between the two countries remain friendly. Since the crash of ‘25, new economic ties have created a stronger relationship between Costa Rica and Germany. Economy Costa Rica has always been an agricultural nation, though the nature of the agrarian economy has changed over time. During the colonial period, the land was mostly used for ranching or the production of basic foodstuffs. After independence, coffee became the principal export crop and its cultivation created the new cafetalero (coffee-growing) elite. In the past four decades, coffee has been mostly supplanted by bananas, which are far-and-away Costa Rica’s chief export and source of wealth. The banana plantations are controlled almost entirely by the United Fruit Company, which also happens to control most of the country’s transport infrastructure. Culture The majority of Costa Ricans consider themselves mestizos, descendents of 16th century Spanish colonists and the native pre-Columbian peoples, though due to the smaller native population, Costa Rica’s heritage tends to be more European than indigenous, especially compared to its neighbors. Nonetheless, many native groups continue to thrive in the country, the largest among them being the Cabécar and Bribri. Costa Rica began seeing some immigration at the end of the 19th century with small numbers of Germans, Italians, and Chinese entering the country. But these groups were small compared to the influx of black West Indians from such places Jamaica, St. Kitts, Barbados, and Trinidad. The introduction of new ethnic groups has challenged Costa Rica’s self-identity as a largely homogenous country. Most Costa Ricans are strongly Catholic, except for immigrant groups as the West Indians, who are Protestant. Costa Ricans are locally known as ticos or ticas. Thanks to a liberal constitution that has mandated public education for over six decades, Costa Rica enjoys one of the best-educated populations in all of Latin America. The liberal elite has done much to promote a national culture in literature, music, and the visual arts modeled after modern, progressive European fashions. Only recently have writers explored folk themes, moving leftward to depict the struggles of the working class. See also * Panama * Nicaragua * United States Category:Countries Category:North American countries